


The science of crushing

by Blanquette



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Coffee Shops, Fluff, Haircuts, M/M, One Shot, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 18:17:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11949927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blanquette/pseuds/Blanquette
Summary: Hyungwon keeps changing his hair and Kihyun keeps crushing on the wrong people.





	The science of crushing

**Author's Note:**

> Guess I'm in a mushy mood these days cause here's another ridiculous one shot.

1.

“How do you know if you really like someone or if it’s merely a crush?”

Hyungwon doesn’t even bother taking his eyes off his computer screen. Kihyun is sprawled on the bed just behind him, staring at the ceiling and periodically heaving a sigh. Moping around in Hyungwon’s room had been his favorite occupation as of late, Hyungwon didn’t even ask questions anymore. He should really tell his mom to stop letting him in.

“If they change their hairstyle and you still like them, it’s not just a crush.”

He hears rustling behind him, probably Kihyun sitting up on the covers.

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s science.”

“Are you mocking me.”

“I would never.”

Kihyun falls back on the bed with a soft thud, and Hyungwon thinks he probably needs to get the guy out of the room right about now if he wants any chance at going to bed early tonight. So he saves his brilliant essay on classic literature and swivels in his chair, finally giving his full attention to the dark-haired boy sprawling on his sheets.

“Who is it this time? The librarian? The usher at the movies? The pizza delivery guy?”

“I’m over all of them now.”

“Then who?”

Kihyun straightens up a little, reclining on his elbows, and seems to hesitate, a crease forming at the corner of his lips, eyes trained on Hyungwon’s face. Then he gets it out in a sigh.

“The new guy at the coffee shop.”

“Can you get more cliché?”

Kihyun makes a face at him and falls back again, dark hair spilling on Hyungwon’s pillow. It will smell like him tonight. Maybe he will have to change the casing.

“I knew you’d make fun of me.”

His moping doesn’t last long though, and he fully sits up, eyes all lit up.

“You should see him though. He has shoulders like this and a great smile.”

Kihyun is miming what Hyungwon assumes is the guy’s broad shoulders, a smile of his own stretching his lips. He considers him for a bit, unfazed, then grabs the jacket hanging off the back of his chair and throws it at him.

“I’m real happy for you. Now can you get out, I have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Why so grumpy.”

Kihyun huffs, but he grabs the jacket and gives him a cheerful smile as a goodbye. Hyungwon is left alone to face his essay again, but his fingers stay limp over the keys. Before going to bed, he considers himself in the body mirror stuck on the side of his wardrobe. He swipes back his blond hair, turns sideways a bit. Guesses his shoulders aren’t that broad after all. Ends up deciding this day really needs to end when he remembers Kihyun’s bright face, his hands framing his own shoulders in an exaggerate gesture.

He doesn’t change the pillow case.

 

2.

Hyungwon is sprawled out on the small corner table, head resting on one of his arm, his free hand pushing his now black bangs over his eyes. He dyed his hair back just hours earlier, on impulse. In between the strands he can see a guy with broad shoulders and a great smile busying himself behind the counter. He sighs and stretches, careful not to spill the hot mug of caffe mocha steaming beside him. The guy had been nice to him. Of course Kihyun would choose someone Hyungwon couldn’t even hate in good conscience.

His eyes are almost closed when the chair in front of him is pulled backwards and Kihyun slides into it, slamming his backpack on the table in the process.

“Already sleeping? Didn’t you say you were going to bed early these days?”

Hyungwon sits up, stifling a yawn, brushing his hair away from his sleepy face. Kihyun seems to notice the change for the first time and stares at him a bit to intensely for it to be comfortable. Hyungwon frowns.

“What is it?”

“Your hair is black.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too.”

Kihyun half smiles and playfully whacks him on the arm with the small notebook he was getting out of his bag. Hyungwon pretends it hurts and winces, pulling his arm back against his chest.

“Did you talk to the love of your life?”

“What?”

“The coffee guy.”

Kihyun glances towards the counter and visibly stiffens.

“Not yet. I thought you’d order for both of us.”

“I wouldn’t take that risk. You always order weird stuff.”

“I do not.”

“Alright, what do you want?”

“What?”

Hyungwon abruptly stood up and Kihyun is glancing up at him, slight surprise on his face.

“I’ll order for you. What you want?”

“Caramel macchiato.”

When the buzzer he comes back with starts vibrating not five minutes later Kihyun is faster, grabbing it and sauntering off to the counter with a smile on his face. Hyungwon puts his pencil down and watches his back, watches the coffee guy beam at him, watches when Kihyun lingers longer than strictly necessary. His mocha is cold at his side.

 

3.

He knows he probably shouldn’t, but Hyungwon cuts his hair himself, black strands painting strange roads on the white porcelain of his bathroom sink. He keeps his bangs long, just as he likes it, a flimsy barrier between him and the world. The rest gets a nice trim. It’s messy and uneven but Hyungwon doesn’t really care. If he wears them tousled, no one will really notice.

Of course he’s never been more wrong, and when Kihyun, totally uninvited, lets himself in his room again, the first thing he does is point at him and whimper. It’s theatrical and uncalled for, according to Hyungwon, so he doesn’t bother with a reaction and just goes back to reading his book, comfortably reclining on the mountain of pillows he amassed on his bed. Kihyun doesn’t let it go, though.

He sits next to him, just on the edge of the bed, and forcibly takes Hyungwon’s hand in his, looking into his face with all the fake solicitude he can muster.

“I’m so sorry. What happened? Did you set your hair on fire and that’s all what’s left?”

“Fuck off, Kihyun”

Hyungwon rips out his hand just as Kihyun starts laughing. He looks at him through his bangs, the only thing that survived the massacre, and he can’t help the warmth that spreads through his chest, even though the other is definitely mocking him. The laughing morphs into a coughing fit and Kihyun finally calms down enough to look him in the eye again.

“Seriously. You can’t go out like this. I will help you. Just trust me.”

Hyungwon nods, and that’s how ten minutes later he’s sitting in front of his sink again, an old towel wrapped around his shoulders. He observes Kihyun through the mirror, the latter too focused on Hyungwon’s mess of a haircut to even say anything. His eyes are narrowing, his lips drawn in a taut line. He snips at strands here and there, his deft fingers pulling and tugging in places. Hyungwon closes his eyes, the feeling of Kihyun’s hands in his hair the only thing he wants to focus on.

“Hey, don’t fall asleep”

He’s brought back by a more forceful tug and Kihyun’s smooth voice.

“I’m done. You’re all better.”

Hyungwon finally opens his eyes and he is indeed all better. Nothing sticks out in a weird way, there’s even some semblance of a fade out near his ears. He looks at Kihyun through the mirror again, smiles at him, but the latter is too busy staring to acknowledge him. Hyungwon shifts on his stool, slightly uncomfortable.

“What is it?”

“Uh? Nothing.”

Kihyun snaps out of it and pushes Hyungwon aside a bit too forcefully in order to clean the scissors in the sink. Hyungwon says nothing, just watches the clear water wash over Kihyun’s fingers. He misses them in his hair.

 

4.

It’s days later and Hyungwon can feel Kihyun’s eyes boring in his now-exposed neck. It almost itches, so he turns around in his chair, facing the ever-familiar sight of Kihyun sprawling on his bed. The guy is on his back and let his head fall off the edge of the mattress. He’s looking at Hyungwon upside-down and there is no way this is a comfortable position, although he doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

“Coffee guy dyed his hair.”

“He did, uh.”

“Yeah.”

There’s a pause where Kihyun scrunches up his nose, seemingly thinking intensely about where to go from there.

“I liked him better before.”

“So it was just a crush then. See. Science.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Hyungwon is about to turn around again, but then both of Kihyun’s arms join his head over the edge of the bed and he takes an inspiration.

“You’re the only one I like with any hair. Even with the fucked-up mess you had on the other day.”

There’s a pause where Hyungwon is just staring at Kihyun’s slowly blushing face. He can’t tell if it’s from all the blood that must be piling into his head or because of what he just said. Kihyun clearly deflates at his silence and the rest of his body slowly but surely slides off the bed onto the floor, and he doesn’t bother getting up.

“Should I just go.”

“No.”

Hyungwon goes to sit down next to the pile on the floor, who looks up at him expectantly. Hyungwon cannot really look him in the eyes.

“Should have wrecked my hair sooner.”

Kihyun goes through some impressive motions in order to sit up, cross-legged in front of Hyungwon.

“So this is like, not just me?”

He’s waving his hand in the air between them and Hyungwon starts to laugh.

“No, it’s not just you.”

The hand goes back to rest on Kihyun’s knee.

“Cool.”

There’s a slight awkward pause, each wondering what they should do or say now. Hyungwon hasn’t felt that light in weeks, so he tells Kihyun. It makes him laugh. Then of course he makes fun of him, and Hyungwon punches him on the shoulder, and it’s light and playful again, and yeah, he really should have wrecked his style sooner, he thinks, when play-fighting ends in a kiss on his lips and a hand in his hair.

 

(5.

When Hyungwon’s mom pokes her head through the door some time later, just to check, because Hyungwon isn’t answering her calls for dinner, she realizes that his very persistent friend is still there, curled up on his side, sleeping just next to her too-tall son. She doesn’t miss their intertwined fingers, nor the way Hyungwon’s angled his head ever so slightly so as to rest on Kihyun’s hair.

Her eyes widen, she bits her lips and closes the door with a thoughtful look on her face. Back in the kitchen, she adds another bowl of rice on the table, another banchan she knows Kihyun likes. Sends her other son get one more chair from the living room. Then she does her hair up, because it makes her look younger, and they don’t get important guests very often.)


End file.
